Expanding file tray



June 8,. 1954 F. S. SCHADE EXPANDING FILE TRAY Filed April 17, 1953 munmll INVENTOR FRANK STANLEY SCHADE TTORNEYS Patented June 8, 1954 UNITED: STATE.

TENT OFFICE 2,680,443 EXPANDING FILE TRAY Frank Stanley Schade, Holyoke, Mass., assignor' to National Blank Book Company, Holyoke,

ass., a corporation of Massachusetts 1953; Serial No. 349,350 (Cl. 129 16) Application April 17,

8 Claims;

members so that the tray may be quickly and easily moved to open or close the same. I These and other objects and advantages of ing index tabs as at 2. from Fig. l the sides As will'readily be seen 3 and l of the tray are diother' sidewall panel; The sheets between oppositelytipped portions may be removed I01 making entries thereof, bookkeeping machine.

The side wall panels shown at 3 and 4 are each pivotally attached by a hinged connection at their lower edges to the opposite edges of a recor bottom plate 5. The hinges may shown by Fig. 3 by rolled hinge as for example, in a the relative pivotal with respect to the pintle rod 8 (Fig. 1) for swinging of each side panel base plate 5.

The panel 3 is also with disposed ither in spaced inwardly closed position or angled open position. As

Thus in the open position sufiicient light will enter from opposite ends proper vision of entries recorded on the lower half of the sheets or cards i. The cut back portions arrows 15.

The end plates 9 and NJ in closed position rest 1 g their bottom edges on the base plate 5 as At the inner side of plates provides by endfianges i8 aninnerfiangedseotion spaced from the flange l3 for maintainin the lower ends of plates 9 and In together in close slidable relation. The flanges 18 are outwardly flared at the top to shield the bottom corners of record sheets against injury in the tray. A rubber pad l9 may also be provided for a bottom liner element.

In the upper portion of the side panels 3 and 4 above the end plates 9 and HI vertical ribbed portions 20 are pressed from the metal thereof to give added rigidity to the same and as will be apparent from Fig. 2 to provide spacer members for maintaining the parallel relation of the cover members to the side panels when the tray assembly is closed.

The cover members are hingedly carried by the side panels on a transverse axis at the mid section of the panels 3 and 4. A hinge strap mounting as at 2! is suitably fixed to the outer surface of panel 3 with rolled hinged knuckle portions 22 turned outwardly therefrom to interfit with complementary spaced hinge knuckles 24 formed along the lower edge of a leg portion for the cover as the panel 23. The knuckles are in axial alignment and a pintle 25 holds the cover for pivotal movement relative to the side panel 3.

The cover panel 23 is formed with a top flanged member as the'lid member 26 and end flanges as the end cover plates 21. In the edge of one of the end plates 21 a slot 28 is cut transversely of the plate adjacent the top section thereof. Inwardly of the slot a pin 29 is fixed to the wall of the plate.

The lid 23 and end flange plates 21 are adapted for telescopic slidable relation with the inner wall surfaces of similarly formed portions of the other cover member. The opposite cover member as shown at the left of Fig. 1 is pivotally hung from a hinge strap 30 by rolled hinge portions with a pintle as at 3|. The side panel portion is indicated at 32, the flanged end plates at 33, and the flanged lid member at 34. The end plate 33 opposite end plate 21 carrying the slot 28 is also provided with a lock mechanism set in an opening formed by an outwardly deformed circular flange indicated at 35. The lock 36 is provided with a pivoted locking bar 31 offset from the inner surface of the plate 33 with a hook 38 formed at the outer end of the bar. The stem for the bar is slidably received in the slot 28 of the plate 21 and at its inner end the hook may be turned to engage the locking pin 29. As shown at 39 (Fig. 1) a notch is cut for passage of the pin 29 in swinging the cover member into the upper position of Fig. 2.

The cover members are adapted in closed position of the tray to extend upwardly beyond the outer edges of the side panels to which they are attached, as seen in Fig. 2, and are held in parallel relation to the panels 3 and 4 with the lid portions overlying the interior of the tray by the spacer ribs 23. It will also be noted from the position of Fig. 2 that the end plates 33 and 2'! close on the end portions of the tray above the end plates 9 and In as by the lower skirted sections of said plates 33 and 2'! covering the cut back portions at l5.

When carried to the open position of Fig. 1 the cover members may be swung outwardly prior to spreading the side panels apart. The panels 23 and 32 are of a length to hang with the lid portions 26 and 34 in flat co-planar relation to the bottom plate on a work surface and laterally of the plate 5 so as to provide perpendicular supporting legs for the panels 2 and 3. Thus with the lids extending outwardly beyond the upper edges of the panels 2 and 3 a secure bracing means is provided against any tendency of the tray to fall. The point of support for the side panel is at the mid section thereof.

Ihe pin l2 rides in the slot H for limiting the outer travel of the side panels and this connection being in the upper portion of the end plates 9 and ID with the slot horizontally disposed across the plate 9, it will be seen that the sides will not inadvertently fall to closed position, yet pressure on the side panels 2 and 3 to close or open the tray may be applied for readily and easily moving the side inwardly or outwardly.

What is claimed is:

1. An expanding file tray comprising a bottom plate, side panels pivotally attached to said bottom plate at the side edges thereof and movable from a vertical oppositely spaced relation substantially perpendicular to the plate to a divergently related position angled outwardly from said plate edges, said side panel carrying interengageable means limiting the outward pivotal travel of the panels, cover members for supporting the side panels in said divergent relation including leg portions pivotally mounted at their inner ends on an axis extending transversely of the side panels at the mid sections thereof, and mounting means on said side panels pivotally carrying said leg portions, said leg portions being of a length to extend upwardly of said panels with their outer edges beyond the upper panel edges and downwardly from said mounting means adjacent the lower edges thereof, said leg portions at their outer edges having flanged lid portions extending inwardly of the side panels and overlying the interior of said tray in upwardly extended position of said legs, and extending outwardly of said panels in downwardly pivoted position of said legs for the bracing support of said panels laterally of said bottom plate in said divergently related position of said side panels.

2. In an expanding file tray having a bottom plate and side panels mounted for pivotally swinging the same into divergently angled relation from the sides of the plate, cover members having leg portions and lid portions at the outer ends of said leg portions, said leg portions being pivotally mounted at their inner ends on said side panels adjacent to and above the transverse center line thereof and being of a length to extend upwardly of the panels beyond the outer edges thereof, said lid portions in said upper position of the legs extending inwardly into overlying relation to the interior of said tray and being movable in lower downwardly extendin position of said leg portions into an outwardly extending relation adjacent to and above the plane of said bottom plate, said side panels having means to limit said relative outward swing on the bottom plate, said lid portions at said limit of outward panel movement being in said lowered position in spaced co-planar relation with said bottom late.

3. In an expanding file tray provided with side panels hinged at their lower edges on a bottom plate for pivotal movement outwardly of the plate and having means to limit said outward movement to a divergently angled relation for access to the tray contents and the turning of the tray contents to rest in tipped position against either of the side panels, cover members having supporting leg portions hinged on an axis exposing the lid portions in overlying relation to the interior of said tray,

and disposed in diver-gently angled relation to said bottom plate for access to the contents of the tray, cover members mounted on said side panels with flanged lid portions at the outer edges thereof and means at the inner edges thereof,

the ends of said bottom plate and one of said flanges having a transversely disposed slot in the hinged on the outer surfaces of said panels and having their inner edgespivotally carried adjacent the transverse center line thereof, said cover members including panel portions extending in nested upwardly directed relation to the side panels beyond the upper edges thereof and provided with lid and end flanges extending in said position inwardly of the side panels with the flanged portions of one cover slidably overlapthe other portion in telescopic members being movable from nested relation on said side panels into depending relation to the side panels with the flanged lid portions thereof being disposed in co-planar relation with said bottom plate and laterally spaced from the edges of said plate for bracing support of said side panels in divergently angled position of the panels relative to the bottom plate.

outwardly of slidably the side panels, and a tray insert on the upper surface of the end flanges upwardly turned plate is disposed bottom plate With to lie at the inner panel flanges. 7. The structure of claim 5 in which said end ends of said tray.

8. The structure of claim 5 in which an overlapping flange of one cover member is provided with a lock mechanism having an inwardly directed stem and lock bar and the complementary flange of the other cover member is provided with a slot to receive the stem and a pin offset from the slot for engagement by said lock bar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

